Sauternes is a deliciously sweet wine that mostly falls in the dessert wine category. It’s got plenty of residual sugar (sugar remaining after the alcohol fermentation), but can be skillfully paired with more savory dishes as well.

It’s also one of the rarer white wines that handles long aging. I’ve had some good younger vintages, but it also can be aged for decades, some going for more than 40 years in the casks. WineFolly has the most comprehensive and most understandable guide to Sauternes I’ve found, and I thank them for much of the information I’ve included below.

It’s rich and complex, and most importantly for this writeup, pairs perfectly with American single malt (ASM).

To make Sauternes, white grapes in the Bordeaux region (mostly semillon) are allowed to be infected by Noble Rot. Before you get scared, it’s the same family of fungus from which we get penicillin, some blue cheeses, and truffles. (In the wrong place, it also causes Athlete’s Foot, but we’ll leave that alone).

This fungus pokes holes in the thin-skinned grapes, causing them to shrivel. This concentrates the sugars by dehydrating the grapes, which leads to more intense flavors and complexities. It’s the opposite of what happens with Ice Wine, another dessert wine that’s been used for finishings in recent years (Finger Lakes Distillery in New York has a fantastic rye finished in local Ice Wine casks). With Ice Wine, the grapes are allowed to freeze, crystallizing the sugars and intensifying the sweetness that way instead.

*‘Noble Rot’ on some Oraniensteiner grapes (rare cross of Riesling x Sylvaner) in British Columbia at Stoneboat. Photo credit: WineFolly.com.*

If Sauternes-finished whiskies (or Sauternes in general) is hard to find, both Hungarian Tokaji and Spätlese Riesling are made using the same Noble Rot technique. Tokaji had a flash in the pan moment a year or two ago as a finishing wine - it seems to have abated, but I think it’s worth trying a bit more. Purely in my opinion, I think bourbon doesn’t handle these sweet wines as well because it’s so sweet to begin with (we’re talking generally here - don’t @ me with “well my local distillery’s bourbon isn’t as sweet and will stand up” because of course there are exceptions).

Rye and Malt, on the other hand, handle sweet finishes beautifully. For example, Sagamore Spirit did a Calvados-finished rye that tasted like apple pie; Glenmorangie, Penelope, Glen Moray, and Whistlepig (through Single Cask Nation) have all put out Tokaji-finished whiskies.

There are several Sauternes-finished whiskies available, too, although for now it’s mostly Scotch. Hillrock Estate in New York is a notable example from the US; Scotch examples include Glenmorangie Nectar D’Or, Arran, Tomintoul, and BenRiach.

Finally, though, there’s a new Sauternes-finished whiskey for us to enjoy and call our own: Old Line Spirits’ American Single Malt Finished in Sauternes Casks.

Old Line took their Cask Strength American Single Malt, aged for four months and coming out at 124.6 proof, and put it in a French Oak ex-Sauternes cask for nine months. The proof surprisingly dropped over the finishing down to 123.4 - granted, not a huge drop, but usually in finishing the proof rises slightly.

When I asked Mark McLaughlin about this, his best guess/recollection was that the barrel was particularly wet when it came to Old Line. It was well-wrapped and sealed and likely had a few gallons of wine leeching out of the staves en route.

The final product wasn’t sold at 123.4 proof, but rather proofed down to 50% ABV/100 proof. Honestly, you don’t miss the proof. As I made clear with their American Single Malt, Old Line has an excellent base to work with, and the Sauternes lent just a bit of sweetness and even more richness in the form of figs and dates.

The biggest compliment I can give this is that it is balanced. Sauternes is powerful. Old Line’s Cask Strength American Single Malt is powerful. French Oak is powerful. It’s proofed down but loses nothing from it. It’s rich and syrupy without being sickly sweet. The fruits are dark and unctuous.

It’s not the powerhouse that the Cask Strength Single Malt is on its own - that’s a whole other beast. That being said, this shows exemplary finishing skills. It’s not easy to finish a whiskey without losing the whiskey in the process, and that balance is a thin, thin line. Mark and Arch tuned it just right where the finish and the whiskey are in harmony.

Thank you to Old Line Spirits for providing this bottle with no constraints.

Old Line Spirits American Single Malt Whiskey Sauternes Cask Finish: Specs

Classification: American Single Malt Whiskey

Origin: Old Line Spirits Distillery

Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley

Proof: 100 (50% ABV)

Age: 4 Years 9 Months

Location: Baltimore, MD

Old Line Spirits American Single Malt Whiskey Price: N/A

Official Website

Old Line Spirits American Single Malt Whiskey Sauternes Cask Finish: Tasting Notes

Eye: Dark amber. Thin rims and quick, straight droplets.

Nose: Sweet white wine as expected, but the malt is well-proofed to not be lost. The two flavors are well-balanced right off the bat. No proof or oak heat of note. Figs and dates deepen the profile.

Palate: Fresh figs and some oak on the tip of my tongue, settling heavily under the tongue and in the corners of my mouth. The Sauternes provides a rich, syrupy mouthfeel with that dark cola note from Old Line’s core ASM profile. Rich, the malt less sweet than the wine. Vanilla and French Oak growing on the tail end.

Finish: Thick, vinous, and rich. As thick and chewable as the Cask Strength American Single Malt, but sweeter and fruitier. Medium-length.

Overall: On the sweeter side for some, but I think this is in perfect harmony. Incredibly well-balanced. Not too much oak, drinks slightly above proof, decadent without being dessert.

Final Rating: 7.6

10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close

9 | Incredible | Extraordinary

8 | Excellent | Exceptional

7 | Great | Well above average

6 | Very Good | Better than average

5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary

4 | Has promise but needs work

1-3 | Let’s have a conversation